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> taking advantage of people's poor ability to do math Are you sure you're not being patronizing there? i.e. underestimating people's ability to choose what wo

> taking advantage of people's poor ability to do math Are you sure you're not being patronizing there? i.e. underestimating people's ability to choose what works for them? I talk to most Uber/Lyft drivers I ride with, every one of them has said they're happy with it, and most have given specific reasons why.

antisthenes 8y ago
None of what you said implies they have ever done any sort of calculation of their maintenance costs and profitability. They could have reasons (or just stated reasons) beyond considering raw profitability.
benj111 8y ago
I don't think its patronising, some (many?) people just aren't good at maths. I know a couple of intelligent people that have a real blind spot when it comes to dealing with figures. So this isn't a 'stupid people' thing. Have you never had a conversation with someone about their new car/phone. They say it's cheap because it only costs them X per month. You ask them what the total cost is, and they have no idea? Because I seem to have that kind of conversation with a wide variety of people. It's not about choosing what works for them, its about making sure that choice is informed. If you're earning $10/hr great, if you spend $5 of that on other costs, you should really be deciding if $5/hr is worth it.
- Pristina 8y ago
  the fool and his money are soon parted. I have no sympathy for people who cannot use sixth grade maths.
  - dang 8y ago
    Maybe not, but please don't post unsubstantive comments here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- neonate 8y ago
  Sure, but why assume that Uber and Lyft drivers all fall into that category? That's what seems patronizing to me. They'd have to be dumb to take that gig for very long if it wasn't economic for them, and many of the ones I've talked to have stuck with it for a long time now. To me it seems disrespectful to assume that they don't know their own interests, and it fits with a meme of poorer people being dumber, which I dislike.
  - AstralStorm 8y ago
    This is why Uber (no idea about Lyft) faces huge employee turnover. That one is in the stats. About 96% quit after a few months. (Less than half a year.) People get smarter once they get hit with a fat payment (repair for example, a crash, uninsured liability) and cannot keep up on the meager pay. They net a loss and often a big one. Yes, the company is taking advantage of this. Welcome to capitalism. A sucker is born every second.
  - benj111 8y ago
    Personally I don't read the parents comment as referring to all Uber drivers, but that's just me. "it fits with a meme of poorer people being dumber " I agree that that's the meme, the parent doesn't actually refer to Uber driver's wealth, rich or poor. I'm guessing theres an unspoken assumption that Uber drivers are poorer, because it isn't that well paid? People don't seem to be giving up careers to do it.
    - xkcd-sucks 8y ago
      Also the meme might be "poor people are forced into exploitative situations". Nobody would assume that a fast food clerk, for example, is dumb enough to consider the job good.

antisthenes 8y ago

None of what you said implies they have ever done any sort of calculation of their maintenance costs and profitability. They could have reasons (or just stated reasons) beyond considering raw profitability.

benj111 8y ago

I don't think its patronising, some (many?) people just aren't good at maths. I know a couple of intelligent people that have a real blind spot when it comes to dealing with figures. So this isn't a 'stupid people' thing. Have you never had a conversation with someone about their new car/phone. They say it's cheap because it only costs them X per month. You ask them what the total cost is, and they have no idea? Because I seem to have that kind of conversation with a wide variety of people. It's not about choosing what works for them, its about making sure that choice is informed. If you're earning $10/hr great, if you spend $5 of that on other costs, you should really be deciding if $5/hr is worth it.

Pristina 8y ago
the fool and his money are soon parted. I have no sympathy for people who cannot use sixth grade maths.
- dang 8y ago
  Maybe not, but please don't post unsubstantive comments here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
neonate 8y ago
Sure, but why assume that Uber and Lyft drivers all fall into that category? That's what seems patronizing to me. They'd have to be dumb to take that gig for very long if it wasn't economic for them, and many of the ones I've talked to have stuck with it for a long time now. To me it seems disrespectful to assume that they don't know their own interests, and it fits with a meme of poorer people being dumber, which I dislike.
- AstralStorm 8y ago
  This is why Uber (no idea about Lyft) faces huge employee turnover. That one is in the stats. About 96% quit after a few months. (Less than half a year.) People get smarter once they get hit with a fat payment (repair for example, a crash, uninsured liability) and cannot keep up on the meager pay. They net a loss and often a big one. Yes, the company is taking advantage of this. Welcome to capitalism. A sucker is born every second.
- benj111 8y ago
  Personally I don't read the parents comment as referring to all Uber drivers, but that's just me. "it fits with a meme of poorer people being dumber " I agree that that's the meme, the parent doesn't actually refer to Uber driver's wealth, rich or poor. I'm guessing theres an unspoken assumption that Uber drivers are poorer, because it isn't that well paid? People don't seem to be giving up careers to do it.
  - xkcd-sucks 8y ago
    Also the meme might be "poor people are forced into exploitative situations". Nobody would assume that a fast food clerk, for example, is dumb enough to consider the job good.